Environment

Guest Post: Running from the Plastic Phantoms One Bold Step at a Time

The following is a guest post from Balaka B. Ghosal who contacted me last year to share her zero waste, plastic-free journey. Enjoy! Most big journeys in our lives start with a story. Mine does, too. Right after coming from India to Houston, Texas, with a six-year-old in tow, I was excited about the amazing systems and processes that worked like a well-oiled machine (or at least so it felt to me, as a new immigrant). Interstate highways

The biodegradable Sulapac® material aims to challenge plastic

The Sulapac® innovation, developed by Finns Suvi Haimi and Laura Kyllönen, combines wood and Nordic design in biodegradable packaging. The Sulapac® material has already got the attention of the world packaging markets as a potential challenger for plastics. Sulapac® innovation is based on Suvi and Laura’s years of study of medical applications and biomaterials. In the research world, they realized that as entrepreneurs they could have a stronger impact on the future of the environment. When the doctoral duo’s biomaterial

Waitrose trials bio-based alternative to black plastic

Waitrose & Partners is set to trial innovative, fibre-based packaging across its range of Italian ready meals as part of the supermarket group’s commitment to eliminate black plastics from its own-brand products by 2019. The new packaging carries a label encouraging customers to recycle it along with their paper waste The firm, which operates more than 350 stores across the UK, will replace the black plastic trays currently used for three of its Italian ready meal products with the alternative material, which it

Tyres and synthetic clothes ‘big cause of microplastic pollution’

Vehicle tyres and synthetic clothing are the two leading contributors to microplastic pollution from UK households, according to a new report from Friends of the Earth. Up to 32,000 tonnes of microplastics enter British waterways each year, according to the report The report, published today (22 November) and entitles ‘Reducing Household Contributions to Marine Plastic Pollution’, reveals that between 9,000 and 32,000 tonnes of microplastic pollution enter British waterways each year from just four sources. The two leading sources are tyre abrasion, with

Merlin Entertainments begins single-use plastic phase out, starting with straws

The Legolands, Sea Life and Madame Tussauds operator has launched a review into the sale and distribution of single-use plastic items across its global estate, pledging a removal of plastic straws from its operations by the end of 2018. Merlin Entertainments operates more than 120 attractions worldwide, including Thorpe Park and Legoland in the UK Merlin Entertainments committed on Friday (23 November) to phase out plastic straws from its entire estate of 124 attractions by the end of 2018, replacing them with paper